Thursday, October 1, 2026
Twenty-five years after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Cedarhurst residents gathered at Andrew J. Parise Park on Friday to remember the seven local residents who were killed that day and honor the courage and sacrifice of first responders.
The annual Village of Cedarhurst 9/11 Memorial Ceremony brought residents, village officials, clergy, first responders and family members together to commemorate the 25th anniversary and ensure that the memories of those lost remain part of the community.
The seven local victims are Thomas Jurgens, 27; Neil Levin, 47; Bettina Browne-Radburn, 49; Joseph Rivelli Jr., 43; Kevin O’Rourke, 44; Howard Selwyn, 47; and Ira Zaslow, 55.
Mayor Benjamin Weinstock spoke about the importance of continuing to remember the victims, particularly as an entire generation has grown up without personal memories of the attacks.
“Everybody in here remembers exactly where they were that morning,” Weinstock said. “And yet, a quarter of a century later, some Americans seem to have forgotten those lessons.”
Weinstock said that was one reason annual commemorations remain important.
“That’s why we do these commemorations year after year,” he said. “Even when they’re inconvenient, in a blazing hot sun, or a pouring rain, or on a beautiful morning like this, it’s very important.”
He emphasized the responsibility of those who experienced Sept. 11 to preserve its history for younger generations.
“We have an entire generation since who’ve grown up with no personal memory of 9/11,” Weinstock said. “To them, it’s history; for us, it’s memory. That’s why we must become the guardians of the truth and teach our children and grandchildren what happened that day.”
Rabbi Pinchas Chatzinoff of Congregation Tifereth Zvi in Cedarhurst reflected on the different ways the passage of 25 years has affected those gathered.
“There are young people standing here today who were not yet born when the towers fell,” Chatzinoff said. “For them, September 11 is just history. Something learned, not something lived.”
For those who lost loved ones, however, he said the passage of time has done little to diminish the pain.
“For us, 25 years can feel like 25 minutes,” Chatzinoff said. “That’s the strange arithmetic of grief, and it is why we gather here this morning.”
Patricia O’Rourke O’Keefe, the sister of FDNY firefighter Kevin O’Rourke, read a poem she wrote for her brother’s funeral. In her remarks, she also called on Americans to remember the unity that followed the attacks.
“It is 25 years later, and it is sad,” O’Keefe said. “I think we need to be Americans again. Be proud of who we are. This is our country. You know, be proud.”
Her poem recalled Kevin as a firefighter who made rescuing people his priority and praised his courage, dignity and perseverance.
“Heroes never question why, how, or when,” O’Keefe read. “Despite the peril of the risks they take, they’ll do it once again.”
She urged residents to remember the patriotism and unity that emerged after the attacks.
“Remember the patriotism that stretched across our land? Remember who we were? We were Americans,” she said. “So, let’s put aside our differences, put aside our hate.”
The rabbi connected the anniversary with Rosh Hashanah, which begins at sunset on Sept. 11 this year and is also known in Jewish tradition as a day of remembrance.
“Today, we answer that fear by saying we remember,” Chatzinoff said. “We remember.”
